Welcome to the Johnston Business Law Group blog! Are you looking for some particular information? We've outlined some of the questions we get asked the most in hopes of pointing you in the right direction. Can't find what you're looking for? Contact us or schedule...
A commercial lease is one of the most complicated contracts a small business owner is likely to face. It is a daunting document filled with language that is difficult to understand and hard to find what it is you are most interested in knowing. By the end...
I have been discussing the Tech Tax since the General Assembly considered it during its 2025 Annual Session. As you are aware, starting July 1, 2025, Maryland will expand its sales and use tax to cover various technology and information services, including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). But here’s the twist:...
As of this writing, we are about one month away from the implementation of a new sales tax on certain technology-related services. The Maryland Comptroller's Office has published emergency regulations to implement the tech tax. This is a fast-moving matter, and to be frank, I...
As we approach summer, we are approaching the first summer (2025) when Maryland's Heat Stress Standards will be in effect. Adopted in September 2024, the standards apply to all employers in the state. Maryland’s new Heat Stress Standards establish mandatory protections for employees exposed to high...
At the start of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session, lawmakers faced a $3.3 billion structural deficit. Although Governor Wes Moore proposed a broad-based 2.5% sales tax on most business-to-business services, the Governor and the General Assembly leaders restructured the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act...
Practical Advice for Smaller Employers Recently, I have been working with a client who needs to conduct an interactive dialogue for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. Even though we may hear about ADA compliance cases involving big companies, because the ADA applies to all employers...
Beginning October 1, 2024, Maryland's wage transparency law will take effect. Modeled off similar laws now in effect in other states, the Maryland law requires employers to disclose wage ranges and a general description of benefits in every public or internal job posting for positions...
On Tuesday, a Federal Judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction preventing the enforcement of the Federal Trade Commission's Regulation that would have banned nearly all non-compete agreements or non-compete clauses in contracts in the United States. The regulation was set to take effect on...
As we all know, life happens, and sometimes life can bring you a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood, earthquake, power outage, or even a random government shutdown. We can't predict what will happen, but we can control our response to what happens. Planning for disaster recovery...
Trademark scams are common, so be aware of what the most common look like. ...